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| Seymour Schulich speaks to guests at a reception at the renamed Schulich School of Law. (Danny Abriel Photo) |
Lord AV俱乐部, George Munro, Lady Beaverbrook, Dorothy and Izaak Walton Killam, Seymour Schulich.
Mr. Schulich鈥檚 name joins the list of benefactors who have made 鈥渢ransformative gifts鈥� to AV俱乐部 and 鈥減rofoundly shaped our destiny,鈥� in the words of AV俱乐部 President Tom Traves at a celebration held in the Weldon Law Building on Thursday afternoon.
The Toronto-based billionaire who has given millions to universities and hospitals in Canada, the United States and Israel was on hand yesterday to write another cheque: this one for $20 million to AV俱乐部鈥檚 Faculty of Law. It is the largest gift to AV俱乐部 by a living donor and the lead contribution in the university鈥檚 forthcoming capital campaign.
The words 鈥淪chulich School of Law鈥� are now installed on the building at 6061 University Avenue in recognition of Mr. Schulich鈥檚 generosity. The Schulich name graces five other educational institutions across the country: the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto; the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont.; the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary; the Schulich Library of Science and Engineering at McGill University in Montreal and the Schulich School of Music, also at McGill.
After moving to the podium himself, Mr. Schulich explained he doesn鈥檛 give money for buildings; he gives money to students with the aim of making higher education more accessible.
And that money flows immediately: 24 scholarships valued at $12,000 to $20,000 will be awarded this year and 41 next year. Students who get the scholarships must meet two out of three qualifications: academic achievement, community service or financial need.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 need only brilliant nerds,鈥� said Mr. Schulich, who also established the Seymour Schulich Fund last year at AV俱乐部. That fund awards four renewable scholarships in the fields of science and computer science鈥攖wo are based on academic merit, two on community service.
'Ain't mashed potatoes'
The man who made his fortune in the mining and energy sectors says he鈥檚 gotten good at giving away money and, where his money goes, more follows. AV俱乐部 has committed to bringing in an additional $12 million within 10 years whether from private donors, government coffers or university operating budgets. 鈥淎nd $12 million ain鈥檛 mashed potatoes,鈥� he said.
Michelle McBride, president of the Law Students鈥� Society (LSS), said law students have had a few weeks to let the magnitude of Mr. Schulich鈥檚 gift sink in and are getting accustomed to the name change. She says his generosity will allow one in five law students to attend the Schulich School of Law tuition free鈥斺�渋n the true Weldon tradition, this school is for those who love the law, not just for those who can afford to study it.鈥�
In return, the third-year law student gave Mr. Schulich a lifetime membership to the social society Domus Legis. Law students get together most every Thursday at the Pogue Fado in downtown Halifax.
鈥淎lthough the name is changing, the spirit and sense of community remains the same,鈥� she added.
Afterwards, as guests nibbled hors d鈥檕euvres and sipped wine, other students say they鈥檝e gotten used to the name change too and 鈥渋t鈥檚 not an issue at all,鈥� said Katherine Ng, a second-year law student from Toronto.
鈥淎t first, it did make us pause a bit because it is a change,鈥� added Faizal Nuraney, a first-year law student from Vancouver. 鈥淏ut I think it鈥檚 going to elevate our status as a law school because the Schulich name has such prestige 鈥� We鈥檙e not walking away from our rich legacy by聽any means but we are taking a great step forward.鈥�